Camp Sunrise

The Salvation Army Camp Sunrise is a summer camp for children and youth in Gibsons, BC. It is situated along a westerly forest edge, oriented to the camp commons and has views to the ocean.

Project Type

Civic

Location

Gibsons, BC

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In the 1920s, a Salvation Army officer purchased an oceanfront property in Howe Sound, near present-day Langdale and founded Camp Sunrise, a summer camp for kids. In 2012, the client embarked on the redevelopment with three new camper cabins to replace five cabins constructed in the early 1960s. The new camper cabins were to have a warmth and robustness befitting a kids summer camp and establish a benchmark for future redevelopment.

NSDA prepared a Vision Document that established a site master plan, a phasing strategy, and conceptual designs for several key buildings which would guide the client through a ten-year redevelopment plan.

The structures are sited along the westerly forest edge, oriented to the camp commons and views to the ocean. Each cabin accommodates 24 people, 4 staff and 20 children. The cabin plan is a simple rectangular form with bedrooms and common washrooms flanking a central circulation spine and a vaulted lounge adjacent to the entry. Despite its diminutive size, the lounge feels spacious with the double height space, exposed wood trusses and large windows.

The camper cabins convey an impression of simplicity and directness with a limited palette of exterior materials: painted board and batten siding, fibreglass asphalt shingles and a wood porch constructed of engineered glulams, purlins and fir decking.